White Crown's Clown
by Meian Rose
Summary: Prince Lavi stumbles upon a battered, six year old boy by the name of Allen Walker. Though the boy can't recall his past, and he doesn't remember much about his life other than one fateful day in particular, the two become odd, fast friends. Nearly 10 years later and it's about time for Lavi's coronation..but Allen'sudden disappearance takes a greater impact on Lavi than intended.
1. Chapter 1

_ Once, in a far away kingdom, lived happily a young pair._

_ A father, and a son. _

_ Mana, the one true ruler of the kingdom known as Crown Clown, and Allen, the fidgety prince who sat numbly in his much too large throne. _

_ Mana whispered comforting words as the two sat through a royal gathering, and once the time had come, the king arose and took his little one by the hand, introducing him to the world. _

_ The crowd cheered, and cheered, and cheered for what seemed like hours as they all praised the little one. Portraits were painted, extreme measures were taken, and even the royal guards had - for once - dropped their sullen faces. _

_ The king was dressed in a vibrant white, with a clawed cape that ran all down his back, and a silver mask covering his elegant, pale face. _

_"My people, I welcome to all of our hearts, prince of our land, Allen Walker!"_

Or, so Allen wished.

It hadn't happened like that at all, actually.

Rather, quite the opposite.

For one, he hadn't one bit of royal blood in his body, not to mention he had not true father, so even if Mana was still around to raise him as his own, they were not of the same blood, therefore Allen had no chance of ever coming close to that kingdom.

Furthermore, Allen was considered quite the street rat. No one in the right mind would ever consider stepping anywhere near the deformed, hideous boy.

It all began on a cold, snowy day, much like this one.

Allen had backed himself lazily up against the wall of an ally, right behind a circus that just happened to ride into town recently. He'd pondered heading over there for a few odd jobs, and decided he would consider it after he'd scrounged up another scrap of food, but for now he was far too tired.

The snow wasn't good for a boy's body, who was only of age six. That being said, Allen was practically numb all over, inside and out.

It was right after he'd passed out, that a strange man had approached the poor boy and gathered him up, carrying him off to some foreign place.

That place, being the circus.

It took quite a while to warm up to Mana, but once all was said in done, Mana was all Allen had left.

Mana seemed to look past the boy's foul temper and malnourished health; In fact, he saw nothing but a typical, frozen little boy.

Though it was a bit odd, Mana, the clown, had come to consider Allen, the street rat, his son.

Allen felt the same way, and soon, whenever somebody asked, he simply stated Mana was his father. In fact, he was rather proud that he'd finally found someone who would love him no matter what; A father figure. He cherished the accomplishment up till the very end.

_"Allen, look out!"_

_ But it was too late. _

Allen let out a shriek as he was thrown down, across the slippery pavement. He was about to scold Mana and give the clown a piece of his mind for fooling around like that, but all plans faltered as soon as he took in the sight before him.

Mana lied down on the concrete, face and body covered in white snow, mixed within a reddish hue.

He knew _exactly_ what it was.

To make matters worse, as he rubbed his teary eyes, he felt a similar, oozing liquid right above his eye. He was bleeding heavily, as was Mana, whose body had already gone limp.

Little Allen screamed and cried and begged for help, he pleaded for someone, anyone to find him before it was too late, for the driver of the carriage to turn his vehicle around and pay for what he's done, for a time machine, anything. He was desperate.

Regardless, there was nothing, nothing that could have been done. He'd known that from the start.

It was, is, and always will be impossible to bring the dead back to life, so why bother trying?

He knew there was a castle not too far off, just a kingdom ahead, that offered to bring stray, fallen souls back to life..but he knew it was a lie. Nothing good came of that kingdom, or their people. They were evil; Sinister. Everyday they tricked more and more innocent people into believing their false truth, and once then, they would never return.

He'd made a promise to Mana, he would never, _ever_ venture to that castle.

He promised he would keep walking.

* * *

Exactly a year later, the winter was harsh and the snow was falling dangerously. Allen found himself in a position similar to the one that started it all, and he was slowly losing consciousness. He knew it wouldn't be long now.

The icy weather pierced his skin, sending chills and goosebumps up and down his arms and legs, save for his left, which felt no pain.

He'd never felt any pain within that arm, nothing. He would never bang it, bruise it _and feel_ _it_, scrape, cut, or damage the skin, and when he did, he never realized it. He felt nothing at all.

The skin didn't look too bad. It was a bit darker than the other, just a little red, but he wasn't missing any fingers so he didn't really _look_ deformed. Mana was kind enough to give him one large mitten to cover his secret, and he hardly ever took it off, so was that why no one wanted him?

Unwanted, unloved, lost, nothing could have compared to the feeling he'd come in contact with that night.

When life had gone from bad to worse, he was just about ready to give up.

That night, he was approached by a few men.

One, two..Three? No, definitely only two, one just happened to be very, very large..

They seemed nice enough. They introduced themselves, shook his hand, and even asked him if he had a place to stay. However, being as rough around the edges as he would possibly allow himself, it didn't take much to reveal their true colors.

Tyki Mikk, and a man who seemed to only go by the name of "Earl" had approached him that night.

"You really have a bad attitude, do you know that?"

"So what?", retorted Allen, "I'm fine with that..It's not like I care."

"I see. so you don't care at all?"

"Not one little bit.."

"You don't care if anything bad were to happen to you?"

The boy was taken aback, "I..I don't know, I..It doesn't matter, what's it to you, anyway?!"

"We were just curious. After all, hurting a boy who wants to be hurt isn't a crime, right? Just like loving a boy that wants to be loved, they're one in the same; Two sides of the same coin."

"Y-You're crazy!", Allen shouted as he ran past the two in an attempt to escape, in vain.

The man, Tyki, had dragged Allen back and roughly held the small boy up against the cold wall, under the Earl's orders. Earl simply sat there, laughing with his crooked smile, playfully spinning an umbrella round and round within his grasp as he watched the tragic event.

It wasn't long after the thrashing and struggling had forced Tyki to pull a knife on the boy, threateningly. Allen tried to comply afterwards, but his will wouldn't let him. His body wouldn't stop; He couldn't stop shaking.

So, after a final warning, Tyki had slit the boy down one side of his face, right above, below, and across the eye earning a vicious, blood curdling scream. As if to torture the poor thing, once he'd hit the maximum the blade would wager against the thick skin, he twisted the knife. Above his eye, he carved a pentacle.

He knew the scar would be jagged and ugly..Weather he would save his eye or not, he didn't know.

Tyki dropped the boy, placing the knife back in the pocket of his belt, and the two men made their way home, hopefully back to hell.

Allen, with nothing else to do, just lied there, snow covering his already numb body.

He'd lost the will to scream.

His body was shaking violently, painful tremors passing through his eye now and then, tears leaking down both faces until he nearly choked.

He figured he was going to die, it was only a matter of time now.

_"Mana..", he shakily called a she raised his working hand, "I'm so sorry, Mana..I promised I would keep walking..I didn't mean to die..I hope you forgive me, Mana."_

Once then, he blacked out, reaching out for his father, the only man that ever cared.

* * *

Who ever said taking care of a child was easy?

No one. Because it wasn't. Anyone who thought so was an absolute, utter moron, who never had to deal with the abomination of a boy before him.

"Panda, Panda, Panda!", cheered the idiot boy, "Panda jiji, play with me!"

The old man sighed, "I don't have time for this, Lavi, we're here on business."

"So?", shrugged the rosette, "We can work and have fun, can't we?"

"No.", he sighed, "You know what we're here for. Now, I brought you with me because you begged and pleaded for something to do. You can't tell me that you only came with me to fool around."

The boy had stopped listening ages ago, it seemed. The little bundle of energy merely responded by running further off, digging himself deeper into the snow only to jump back out and run - and slip - around on concrete.

Defeated, Bookman sighed as he watched and merely kept walking, Lavi in tow.

They kept on walking, repeating the same cycle up until they stumbled upon a rather _curious_ noise.

"What is that, Panda?"

"It sounds almost like a faint whimper..Where it's coming from, I have no idea..and why must you insist on calling me Panda?"

Lavi ignored the man, tuning in on the sound.

"It's coming from over here!", he cried as he ran down the aisle of a nearby dark ally.

"Lavi, don't go-!"

"**_Bookman, help!_**"

"What is it?", he asked as he calmly followed the boy.

For once in his life, he gasped as well.

Before them lay the fallen body of a boy who bore a bloody eye, battered body, and pure, white hair that seemed the blend in with the snow.

"Who is this?", asked Lavi, who quickly checked the boy's pulse, "Is he alive? What happened, gramps?!"

"I don't know, Lavi..All I know is that if we don't get some serious medical attention soon, he could very well lose his life..or at the very least, that left eye of his."

Lavi frowned, rubbing the eye patch placed over his own left eye, "You're not gonna let that happen, right?"

The old man sighed, scooping the boy up in his arms, "I'll do what I can..Call for a carriage. Scream at the top of your lungs, do you hear me?"

Lavi nodded, before running out - straight in the middle of the road - and screaming his little heart out.

A man who had almost hit the boy, managed to stop just in time and took immediate heed of the boy, rushing the two off to the castle.

It was a ten minute drive but he sped his horses, pushing both to their maximum limit, cutting the tip down by little more than half.

As soon as Lavi and Bookman (which seemed to be the only name he went by) reached the castle, they thanked the man and sent him off with a hefty amount of gold, quickly as they hadn't bothered to count the coins.

Inside the castle, they immediately rushed to the infirmary where they hooked the boy up to an IV drip, not that it was doing much.

Lavi stuck close to Bookman, allowing the old man to gingerly pat his head as they watched the intense operation. Doctors were pouring in and out of the room from all over the castle, rushing to save his eye.

It took a good six hours, and for the most part, they were successful.

"How did it go?!", called Lavi as the doctors set down their instruments, "Is he gonna be alright?"

One doctor smiled, giving the young prince a wave, "He'll be fine..We saved his eye and there was no internal damage..Whatever it was had only managed to cut the eye lid..We were worried about that for a little while, in fear something were to come of that, but it should be fine. We've sewn it up, disinfected, and bandaged the wound but we're almost positive that he should have a scar for a good portion of his life.."

"Do you know what happened to him?", asked the king, who now stood by the little ones bed.

"Well, we're uncertain, but we know this wasn't any mere accident."

"How so?"

"Well..", he sighed as he carefully lifted the bandage on his forehead, "If you look here, there's a pentacle carved right above his eye. I've never known an accident in the world that could have caused that..Unless star shaped carriage exists?", he chuckled in a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

Lavi wasn't buying it. He tugged on Bookman's sleeve with a fallen face, who exchanged a quick understanding and lifted Lavi to see the wound.

The formerly bubbly boy was stricken with tears as he was let down. Without another word, Lavi ran far out of the room, down the hall, and up to his room (he just happened to share with the king).

Bookman watched the boy leave with a sullied heart.

Who could have possibly been this cruel?

* * *

**Crap, I'm writing another fanfic..Screwed, I am. Probably gonna be a two-three shot.**


	2. Chapter 2

Every once in a while, Allen would wake up and he would find himself staring into the unfamiliar face of a boy who was just a bit too..bubbly, for Allen's liking, as bitter as it may seem.

Well, the boy he'd soon discovered to be Lavi, became a frequent visitor, apparently. He'd wake up and he'd scan the room to find the boy anywhere..

On the floor, in the chair, in the doorway, and he would sit there and do nothing but watch Allen.

He would offer Allen a glass of water if he'd known he was awake, and sometimes he would call in a man who looked fairly old, only to scare Allen into feigning sleep rather than facing the strangers.

No, at the moment, he was concocting a hair brained scheme to escape this forsaken place..Where was he anyway?

..Was he dead? Was this heaven?

Or worse..Was it hell? Had Allen died and gone to hell? But he can't go to hell! Mana's up in heaven, he has to find him, he can't do that if he's another dimension away!

The twisted thought sent the boy to tears, as he quickly remembered what had happened.

Mana had died..

_"Never stop. Keep walking."_

That was enough to send Allen over the edge, as he began to violently thrash, toss, and turn in the confines of his bed. He heard the sound of something beeping, but he ignored it, faintly noticing the more he moved, the faster the beeping became.

It didn't take long to alert the redheaded boy. He was the first to come bounding in, holding Allen down to the best of his ability.

"Calm down, calm down!", pleaded the boy, "Gramps said it's not good to move around like this in your condition..Got it? Stay put and relax!"

"I can't relax!", screamed the boy, "I can't, I can't, Mana is dead! Mana died!"

"Who the hell is Mana?"

Insulted by the sudden question, he delivered a rough, seemingly well-deserved slap upon the intruders face.

The boy in turn gave him a sad look, and leaped away from the bed, seeing as the boy had somewhat controlled his movement..

"How..How could you say that?", cried the pale boy, "Mana was my father! Who are you? Why am I here? I want to go-!"

He froze in his tracks.

Where was he going to go? Where had he ever been before this moment? Was this his home?

Allen scared himself again with the appending questions, until he began to thrash again.

This time, another man had walked in. This one wasn't familiar either, but he knew he'd seen the face before. This was the same man who had stood in the doorway a few times with Lavi, when he'd alerted the man whenever Allen so much as bat an eyelash.

"P-Panda!", gleefully shouted Lavi, "I told you he was awake!"

"Yes, well, that's easy to see when the boy's heart monitor is doing hand stands."

_Hand stands?_

_ Ah, that's right, Mana was a clown.._

"Who are you?", asked Allen with a clearly defensive tone, "Why am I here? Did you bring me here?"

The two exchanged looks of understanding, turning their attention back to the shaken boy.

"Relax, you're in safe hands. You suffered a severe head injury. We merely took you in and treated your wound..Now, before you ask us anymore questions, we have a few urgent matters that need to be discussed..Is that alright with you?"

Hesitantly, Allen nodded.

"Alright. Now, for starters, what is your name?"

"Allen..I'm..", he paused, "I'm Allen Walker."

"How old are you?"

"I'm..", he quickly counted on his fingers, "I think I'm six."

"You don't know?"

He shrugged, "I don't know..I turned six, the day Mana died."

"I see...Do you know how long ago that was?"

"December..December 25th."

"I see. In that case, you could be six or seven..Do you know the year?"

"I..I don't know.", he shrugged, "I'm sorry."

"Well..", he sighed, "No matter. If Mana has had a proper burial, the year of his death should be imprinted on his tomb stone. We'll check on that later and decipher your age, but we're not done yet. Now, do you know who attacked you, and if so, do you know what their motives were?"

The boy looked surprised by the sudden hounding of questions, so he quickly scanned the room for an answer, or an excuse, or an escape, or anything, really.

Instead, he found Lavi.

"What he's trying to say..", the boy began, avoiding the "Panda's" gaze, "Is..You know, do you remember what happened to your eye? How did you get hurt?"

Allen gasped, "I'm hurt? What's wrong with my eye, am I gonna die?!"

"You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

Bookman whispered to Lavi, "It appears we have a case of amnesia..If he can't remember anything right now, we shouldn't push him. It might hurt him..Now, I think that's all the information we're going to get out of him. Have the servants prepare a room for him and see to it that there's a full course meal ready by the time we have Allen unhooked and ready to go, got it? Think you can handle that?"

Lavi huffed but nodded, "Yeah, I got it!"

So, with that, Lavi sped off down the large halls, out of sight.

Bookman merely watched silently as the boy awkwardly stared at the world around him.

What an odd child..

On top of memory loss, as soon as he'd awoken, he sputtered nonsense about a man named Mana, claimed he had no idea that anything was ever wrong with his eye, and to top it all off, both eyes were a shining silver.

Just who was this kid?

Oh, right. Allen Walker.

* * *

It appeared the boy was capable of eating his fill, as Lavi had quickly discovered.

No sooner than they'd escorted the boy to the dining hall, had he practically devoured a feast fit for kings..and should they had let him, he probably would have eaten the table, too.

Lavi shrugged as Bookman sent him a curious look, most likely regarding the strange kid.

Afterwards, they decided it was time to treat the wounds.

Seeing as Lavi was only two years older, they sent the boys into the bathroom with a maid, who helped them prepare for a hot, luxurious shower (separately, as Allen requested).

Nonetheless, Lavi stayed. Not only was he too in need of a shower from rolling around in all that snow, as well as foreign concrete, but the maid most likely needed all the help she could get with this one. Bookman insisted that it wouldn't look good if he escorted them personally, since, though they were young, were perfectly capable of bathing themselves.

..Besides, they had an extra hand.

After their bath, every maid practically swarmed the bedroom as they watched the two perfectly adorable little boys dress and get acquainted. They so badly wanted to watch the scene play out! It was a match made in heaven!

Yes, finally, Lavi had a friend! He was out of their hair-!

Or, rather, Lavi had a friend and they were..happy for him. Yes, they were exceeding the proper levels of joy.

* * *

However, things on Lavi's end weren't going quite as planned.

The boy was snarky, sarcastic, rude, and above all, he wouldn't stop splashing Lavi with his wet hair!

"Stop it!", Lavi cried as he was hit once again with drips of bath water.

"I'm not trying to do it!", retorted Allen, "I need to dry my hair!"

"That's not helping, let me do it!"

"No way!"

"Why not?"

"I don't need your help, that would be way too weird, I've never even met you!"

..As far as he could tell, at least, and that was good enough for him!

In fact, the only boy he ever recalled in his faint memory, was that of a little boy, who carried a similar fallen face to his own..However, this boy had brown hair, and eyes to match. He also wore a mitten on one hand..which was just a little strange.

"Come on, Allen!"

"No way! Why are you here, anyway? Don't you have your own room?"

"I do, but I share it with Panda!"

"Who's Panda?"

"Panda is the king. His name is Bookman, but Panda fits him so much better, don't you think?", he grinned.

Allen was _not_ amused. Instead, he merely whipped his hair once more, splashing Lavi again.

"Hey! You did that on purpose!"

"Nah ah!"

"Ah ha!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"...Only this once."

Lavi growled inwardly, just about ready to strangle this kid.

"You're screwing up my hair too, you know?"

"Like I care! My hair is the one that matters! Speaking of hair, get out of mine, dude!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Boys!", called a distant voice, "Open up, Lavi, Allen!"

Lavi quickly threw on a pair of pants and a shirt, leaving Allen the only one in a towel. He opened the door to find the stern face of the one and only Pand-erm, Bookman, standing in the clearing of what seemed to be a row of love-stricken maids..

"What is it, Panda?"

The Bookman scoffed at his nickname, but put it off for the time being as he impatiently greeted the two, "I hope you boys are getting along.."

The two exchanged looks of sorrow, before agreeing in unison, "Absolutely!"

The king almost cracked a smile, they noticed.

_Almost._

"That's great news..Now, I didn't come to bother you.", he sighed, "I came to make an announcement..Lavi, this concerns you, so you better listen good."

Lavi nodded, all ears open wide.

"You're getting older, you're almost nine, and you're getting too old to share a chamber with me, so from now on, at least until we can find Allen's parents, we're going to keep you two in the same room."

Before either had a chance to protest, as Bookman had cleverly anticipated, he'd shut the door on both.

The two sadly looked at each other.

..Well, Lavi looked sad. Allen looked angry.

* * *

Night had fallen far too quickly, for anyone's liking, or more specifically, Allen and Lavi, as they quickly discovered they would have to share a bed together..

At least it was king sized.

Exchanging hurtful looks, the two rolled over, backs facing each other.

They were planning on staying this way all night, up until the very moment they woke up but, well..

You would have to sleep, to be able to wake up, therefore that wasn't very possible when you weren't getting much sleep.

Why weren't they sleeping?

Well, Lavi was closer to dreaming than Allen was, but he was kept awake by the faint sound of sniffling..

"Allen?", he whispered as he turned over, facing the back of Allen's head as he crawled closer, "Allen are you awake? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing!", Allen insisted as he buried his head under the covers.

Lavi easily saw through the charade, lifting the covers up and over both of their heads.

He continued staring Allen down in the darkness, "You can tell me, you know..I wasn't..I wasn't really angry with you, I just don't like..I don't like it when people are rude, y'know?"

Allen sniffed in response, "I..I get it, but..It doesn't matter, alright? There's nothing you can do about it, so just..Just.."

"Just what?"

"Just, back off, alright? I'll leave soon and then I'll be out of your hair..Everyone's hair, alright?"

They sat in silence for a moment, before Lavi hesitantly gathered the courage to ask, "Allen..Do you have any family to return to?"

Even under the covers, he could tell the boy had shaken his head.

Annoyed by the darkness, Lavi had lifted the covers off of both of them, leaning over and staring Allen right in the eyes.

It was clear the boy was crying now..Trembling, in fact.

"You don't have to cry, Allen..", whispered Lavi as he lowered himself back down.

"You don't get it..You don't have to worry Lavi, you're a prince! Why should you care?"

Lavi cracked a small smile as he pulled Allen into a hug from behind, despite the silent protest, "Because! I'm gonna be king one day and as a king, I have to protect my people..that includes you, right? There's no way I would turn my back on my own, so you should probably get used to that.."

Allen turned over as well, facing the boy, stunned by the sudden embrace.

Had he not seen his arm?

"Don't cry anymore, Allen, alright?"

Allen had no words.

"I'll be here with you, even if just for tonight..You'll be safe, I promise!", he grinned.

With nothing left to say, he accepted Lavi's hug, and the two soon drifted off to a deep, well-deserved sleep.

Needless to say, they were a bit surprised the next morning, when maids were practically piled up against the door of their room, following a single, bubbly servant who practically squealed in pure delight as she uncovered the two embracing boys.

* * *

I couldn't stop writing. By the way, I think the servants are fan-girls in disguise.


	3. Chapter 3

The boys grew up together after that.

For a while, it was a bit difficult to get any piece, or rather, any work done the way the maids were acting, but all in all, things were going a bit smoother than they were when they'd first brought Allen to the castle.

They discovered that Allen was seven years old, and they discovered that he was an orphan.

He'd lived in London and followed Mana around, as well as the traveling circus, up until the day he died.

Allen knew nothing else, other than the day Mana died, and the very last words he'd ever said to the boy.

It was a year after Mana died, that they had found him, but it was apparent to him, that year was a blank.

Lavi didn't mind not knowing; He wasn't too curious. He decided it was safe to leave well enough alone, so he did. In the mean time, the two occupied themselves with other, conspicuous means of entertainment..much to "Panda's" distaste.

Their friendship had grown allot in the past few years.

From time to time, they would sit in the garden, Lavi would show him around the castle, though Allen probably already knew where everything was, he would sit outside with him, and side by side, they would lay, gazing up at clouds or stars depending on the time of day.

They seemed content with that lifestyle for a while, no one complained. They'd even go so far as to hold hands, on occasion.

Even Panda seemed rather pleased with the way things were going between the boys..Though, Lavi wasn't quite sure..

Ah..On another note, the minute Lavi hit teenage years and _still _insisted on calling Bookman a Panda, he would receive just a bit of a hard lesson.

Meaning Panda beat the crap out of the rabbit, as Allen once put it.

"Stop laughing!", commanded Lavi as he rubbed his sore head.

Allen giggled, cracking a small smile as the two lied down on the soft grass, staring up at the night sky once again, "I told you to quit calling him that.."

"You used to call him a Panda all the time, where's your punishment?"

"Well, Lavi, you used the name so much..I thought his name really _was_ Panda."

Lavi burst out laughing, "Are you serious? You thought his..Oh man, that's so rich! Wait until I-"

"Hey! It's your fault, why do you call him that, anyway?"

Lavi opened his mouth, but Allen raised a silencing hand, "Know what? I don't wanna know."

The two sat and exchanged fits of laughter.

It's been ten years since that day.

Ten years since Allen and Lavi first met, and they both remember the day well.

They still share a room..though they sleep in separate beds, as requested by the boys as they soon came of natural juvenile age.

The maids seemed a little discomforted by the fact for some odd reason, but they shrugged it off. They received their meals every morning just the same..

And just the same, Lavi would sometimes catch Allen mourning the tragedy of his fallen father, even after all these years. Allen still, sometimes, cried himself to sleep.

Just what kind of relationship did these boys have, Lavi wondered.

He desperately wanted to ask him..were they friends? Good friends, brothers, best friends? He wasn't sure..

Was this how friends normally acted? Were they ever this close?

Well, in fear of dropping a difficult question out of the blue, he kept his mouth shut, and it worked. Allen never suspected a thing and he intended to keep it that way..

"Hey Lavi."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think other people act this way?"

Lavi hummed curiously, "Act what way?"

"You know..", he sighed, turning over on his stomach, cradling his head within his arms, "The way we do.."

"The way we do? ...I'm not sure. I..I guess so. We are friends, right?"

"R-Right!", smiled Allen, "We're great friends..I just..I never really expected this, so it's a little surprising.."

Lavi nodded, "I never expected it either..I'm an only child, you know..I never really saw any other kids.."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Why are you sorry?", chuckled Lavi, "If anything, I should feel sorry. I'm complaining about this after all that crap you've gone through? No way, dude, and if I bring it up again, you have the right to knock some sense into me-Ow! What was that for?"

Allen laughed, smiling wide as his friend cradled his injured head.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Lavi!", he apologized through his laughter, "I meant to be..gentler?"

"Sure.", huffed Lavi as he turned over, "Sure you did, Allen."

"I did!", he insisted, still chuckling, "Don't be that way, Lavi.."

"It's too late now. I have half a mind to get up, walk inside, and finish the last of the leftovers.."

"...We have leftovers?"

"...Maybe we do, and maybe we don't.."

The two exchanged serious faces. This meant war.

However, Lavi was a step ahead.

Just as Allen was about to pounce, Lavi made the first move, tackling and pinning Allen to the grassy ground, with both wrists high above his head.

In his fit of laughter, he barely paid any attention to the suggestive position they were in, enjoying himself as he watched an annoyed Allen struggle to break free.

"This isn't funny Lavi! Get off me!"

"No way, you started it!"

"Lavi, this isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair, Allen!"

"What are you two doing?"

The two looked up at the approaching footsteps, which just happened to belong to a bemused Bookman.

"..We're wrestling."

"Lavi is winning."

The old man sighed and rubbed his temples, "I see..Well, when you're done fooling around, I need to speak to you, Lavi..Alone."

"Alone?", whispered Lavi, "Why alone?"

"Just, meet me in the throne room when you're done with..whatever you're doing."

He never spared Allen a second glance, merely turning back toward the castle.

Then and only then did Lavi truly realize this position may just be..maybe just a little conspicuous.

"Lavi?"

"Yeah, Allen?"

"..Can you get off?"

"...Sure thing, pal!"

With that, Lavi released Allen's wrists and no sooner than that, he was thrown off.

"So what do you think that was about?"

"No clue..", sighed Lavi, "But there's only one way to find out, right?"

"I guess so.."

Allen watched as Lavi rose, giving his friend a questioning look.

"What is it?"

"You're staring at me."

"Of course I'm staring at you, I'm waiting for you!"

"Waiting for me?"

"You're coming too, aren't you?"

"Weren't you listening? He said he wants to speak to you alone."

"So? Just..find a hiding spot, what you know wont kill you, right?"

"Well..I don't know, Lavi, I think I'll just go to bed.."

"Come on, Allen! It'll be fine. There's nothing I know that you can't."

"... I guess you're...", he hesitated as Lavi made a few strange gestures, signalling Allen to finish his sentence, "I..I guess you're right?"

As if he'd won a prize, Lavi cheered, "Good boy! We have a winner.."

Allen merely rolled his eyes as he allowed Lavi to help him up.

Reluctantly, he followed his idiot friend back to the castle, quickly ducking behind a wall upon reaching the throne room.

* * *

"Good, Lavi.", Bookman began, patting the seat next to him, "You're here."

Lavi nodded, "What is it that you needed Pand-Ow!"

"I told you to stop calling me Panda.", he sighed as the prince rubbed his dented skull, "Now I didn't call you hear to pick on you, so listen good. I'm only saying this once, understood?"

The prince sighed, but nodded again.

"As you know, in less than a month from now, you will be turning eighteen."

Lavi's eyes lit up, "That reminds me! Winter is coming up soon, right? That means Allen's birthday is right around the-"

"Let me finish. I know you're excited but this isn't about Allen, this is about you. Since you've reached the legal age, things will be getting a bit hectic from now on. Do you understand?"

"Hectic? What do you mean?"

"Hectic as in, now that you're an adult, women will begin to recognize you as a handsome, young, wealthy man with the capability of turning anyone of them into an equally wealthy princess. Are you following?"

Lavi shrugged, "Yeah, I get it, but what's so wrong with that? I'll just have girls all over me all the time..It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal! Should you marry the wrong woman, our kingdom could fall into the wrong hands. One false move and we're both overthrown.."

"Problem solved, I just wont marry!"

"Yes, that was the original intention, but marriage isn't what I'm most concerned with right now. You need to prepare for your coronation and we have no time for any distractions whatsoever."

"I still don't understand why you called me here. You're basically repeating everything we've been going over for the past seventeen-no, eighteen years!"

"I'm saying this because I know how close you've grown to Allen. We've raised you both like brothers and I know you've grown attached to the boy."

"...I guess so.", he shrugged, leaning lazily on one elbow, "But that doesn't make a difference. Allen has nothing to do-"

"Let me finish, Lavi..", Bookman sighed, "Your coronation will essentially take about three months to prepare, if it's done right. If we rushed through the ceremony, in a vain effort to avoid any possible disruptions, everything should be ready exactly four weeks from today. Now, this is a very crucial time, therefore we can't have any distractions-"

"And?"

"And, I think it's best you find Allen, and.."

"And what?"

"I've prepared money for his trip. I think it's about time that Allen started living on his own."

"W-What?"

"You heard me, Lav-"

"No way!", he yelled, "I wont let you kick Allen out! You can't do that..Where else is he going to go, old man?!"

"I told you Lavi, that's up to you, now. You didn't really believe we would keep him forever, did you..?"

"I-"

What was Lavi thinking?

_Of course..He should have known. There's no possible way they could keep Allen..He's not a pet. _

_ Had Lavi ever even considered that? Was he just planning on sheltering Allen until the day he died?_

"What is it, Lavi?"

"N-Nothing..", he sighed, ignoring the slight twitch in his eye, "I just..I need some time to think, alright?"

Bookman nodded, "In that case, take your time..but this is inevitable, Lavi."

"Inevitable..", he whispered, "Got it."

* * *

Allen had overheard a good chunk of that, up until a damn maid caught him and dragged him down to the kitchen!

Not only had the king notified all other servants to keep an eye out for any eavesdroppers, apparently, but he'd also been sentenced to kitchen duty for the night as punishment..

To make matters worse, the nurses wouldn't stop pinching his cheeks!

How was he supposed to get any work done with these women constantly grabbing him, hugging him, kissing him, and fawning over his every move? Was this how they treated all of their kings?

..He wasn't even close to being a king, what gives!"

"Hey Allen-"

And of course, Lavi had stumbled in on a rather..interesting sight.

Allen found himself backed up against the kitchen table, both hands covering his face as servants and maid alike began inspecting every visible aspect of his body. It wasn't until one began tugging on his clothes that Lavi had decided to put a stop to it.

"G-Gramps wants to know where Dinner is!"

Apparently, it didn't take much to scare, swarm, and scatter these women in several different directions.

"H-Hi Lavi.", sheepishly greeted Allen, "How's it going?"

"...How much of our conversation did you hear, Allen?"

"How much?"

Lavi nodded.

"...Not much, sorry. One of the maid's caught me right after Bookman mentioned your eighteenth."

"Oh.", Lavi shrugged.

_So Allen doesn't know? He has no idea? Is there still a chance to save this?_

"So, Allen.."

Allen hummed, "Yeah?"

"...How would you feel, hypothetically, let's say..If someone were to offer you a place to stay, with enough money to help you get by for say..a couple years? Would you take it?"

Allen shrugged, "I don't know..I've never thought about that."

_ Thank god, Lavi wasn't the only one!_

"So..You wouldn't leave, right?"

"...Would you want me to leave?"

"N-No!", he shouted a little louder than he would've liked to.

Allen stood there with a blank expression, despite Lavi's inner wishes. Please, say something!"

"So..You wouldn't want me to leave?"

Lavi gingerly rubbed the back of his head, "I..I guess not. After all, you're the kingdom's beansprout!"

"Very funny.", Allen sighed, rolling his eyes, "Now what did you need, Lavi?"

"I..I..Gramps said..He told me..to..get ready for dinner."

"Really? He called you just to tell you..to get ready for dinner?"

"...Yes?"

"Well..I guess.", he sighed, "I'm going to eat alone tonight, though. Sorry, Lavi?"

"Alone? Why alone?"

"No..No real reason.", he chuckled.

"...I guess, but we'll miss you at dinner!"

Allen waved him off as he walked away, out of Lavi's line of sight.

* * *

"What was that about?", wondered Allen, "What exactly was he hinting at?"

A million thoughts and one raced through Allen's mind, circulating over and over, until he'd finally had enough.

Each thought basically read the same thing:

_He doesn't want you anymore. _

_ He doesn't need you anymore. _

_ You've become a real nuisance. _

And plenty more.

So, Allen merely waited till dinner.

He informed the maid that he was going out for a stroll, and he would return in little more than a half hour.

_That was three weeks ago. _

* * *

**_ I have such a headache, ow ow ow ouch, it hurts. Anyway, the story is probably littered with mistakes and all that at the moment, and that's why. I hate headaches. _**


	4. Chapter 4

_Lavi held Allen's hand, tightly. The pair sat side by side comfortably, staring up at the starry night sky. _

_ Neither said a word, content with sweet smiles. _

_ Occasionally Lavi would glance over, mesmerized and entranced by Allen's sweet, beautiful face...and if he wasn't careful, Allen would notice, and glance back, smiling. _

_ Lavi loved his smile. _

_ Still under Allen's spell, Lavi propped himself up, leaning over, earning a curious look. Allen seemed to know what was coming, as he said nothing, merely meeting Lavi's gaze. _

_ The distance grew tighter, smaller, and then.. _

_ Allen dissolved. Out of Lavi's reach, out of his arms, far away from here. _

* * *

Prince Lavi awoke in a cold sweat.

"Allen?", he whispered, "Allen, are you awake?"

He was faced with an empty bed.

"Damnit.", he swore under his breath as he stormed out of the room, quickly rushing his coat on.

He hadn't said a word until a maid pulled him aside, noting the hateful scorn he wore.

What was her name again? Ah, right. Chomesuke.

She was about to say something-

"Where's Allen?"

But he cut her off.

"Allen..", she thought for a moment, "Now I remember, Allen said he was going to take a stroll around town for a while. He said he would return in..was it, half an hour?"

"Half an hour?"

She nodded.

"..How long ago was that."

She glanced at her pocket watch, "Three hours ago, four in thirty minutes."

Lavi swore again, speeding past the maid and out the door into the snowy night.

* * *

Bookman tossed and turned in his bed, forcing a pillow over his ears in a vein attempt to drown out the seemingly endless noise.

Damn him, what could he possibly be doing out there?

"Lavi!", he finally sat up and shouted, "Lavi, shut your mouth you impudent brat, I'm trying to sleep!"

After regaining his composure and thoroughly scaring a nearby servant, he pulled a maid aside.

"Where is my idiot son?"

"Lavi?"

He nodded.

"Lavi told me he was going out for a while..He said he wanted to find Allen, and to tell you if he was not back within the next few hours, call a search party."

"A search party?", he huffed, "Surely he's joking."

The maid chuckled, "I think it's kind of sweet. Those boys really do care about each other, don't they?"

Bookman rolled his eyes, "It's evident, but Lavi needs to understand..Allen is _not_ some dog. He can't train the boy to run to his side at every beck and call, and it's bad enough that he's still living here..I may not have a problem with that, but one day Lavi will grow, he will meet a young, beautiful girl, and there will be no more room for Allen. I just..I don't want the boys to learn their lesson the hard way."

"I completely understand.", she sighed, bowing her head, "Was there anything else you needed?"

"No. I merely woke up due to the idiot boy slamming doors and stomping all over the castle.."

"I see. So you're fine now? I trust you'll be able to sleep now?"

He shook his head, "If that was possible, I would have done it already.", he sighed as well as he pulled on his coat, reaching for the door.

"W-Where are you going, mi'lord?", she inquired, "Isn't it snowing? Wont you catch a cold? Please, allow me to call one of the other servants..we'll escort him home safely!"

"There's no need for that. If Lavi has his mind set on something, you'll need to torch the entire place before he ever gives in. None of you could possibly handle that, and I wouldn't put you through this kind of moronic behavior..Now, if you'll excuse me."

She bowed almost immediately, "Yes, mi'lord..Please, return home safe."

He waved her off as he set out in the snowy night, after the two closest to his heart, and after all these years, he finally had a _reason_ to consider them _dumb_ and _dumber_.

* * *

Lavi was sure his lungs would burst anytime soon. He'd practically ran all the way across the snowed out town, shouting Allen's name at the top of his lungs, in a manner in which he wouldn't have been surprised, had the neighboring kingdom sent a noise complaint.

And he was certainly getting enough of _those_ already.

When he'd first began, the reaction was nothing more than a few lights flickering on, and curious souls stepping outside or popping their windows open to look into the noise.

From there, is escalated from a minor, polite complaint, to dodging stones or anything else the angry citizens may have gotten their hands on.

"Allen!", he shouted for the _possibly thousandth _time_._

_"Shut up!"_

_"Go to sleep!"_

_"We're trying to get some rest, some of us have work in the morning!"_

_"Quiet down!"_

_"Who the hell is Allen?!"_

He was ready to shout again, piling as much air in his lungs as humanly possible, and then some, when he felt a light tug on his arm.

"Who is-Ow!"

"Idiot boy.", huffed Bookman, "What the hell are you doing out here, disturbing the peace like this?"

"I can explain-"

"I'm sure you can, and you can do so at _home_, _in the castle_, where you belong.

"Not without Allen!"

The king huffed, "Lavi, Allen is more than capable of taking care of himself."

"He's only sixteen-"

"I know that, and you're about to turn eighteen, which is exactly why it's vital that you act your age. You're doing nothing more than causing trouble for our citizens, which isn't going to help you find Allen."

"But-"

"Let me finish. If you wish, in the morning if Allen has yet to return, we may call a search party."

Lavi frowned with a defeated look present, "...I get it.", he sighed as he followed his king.

Bookman merely nodded, escorting Lavi far away from the angry town.

Halfway home, he added, "Oh, and Lavi..."

Lavi looked up.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you idiot."

* * *

The king was true to his word.

Come morning, after things had calmed down a little bit (for the king at least), Lavi insisted on gathering a search party, and had even taken the liberty of staying up all night, in an attempt of sketching a copy of Allen's face in hope of aiding the search.

..Although it looked more like an alien than Allen, Bookman allowed Lavi to take it with him while he accompanied the soldiers.

They had gone door to door in search of Allen, asking for a boy with white hair and silver eyes, a scar present on his left eye as well as a white glove tight around one hand.

"No."

"Who is that?"

"Is that human?"

"Never heard of him, I'm sorry."

"He sounds familiar..Oh, sorry, maybe not."

"No..Yes! Wait, sorry..No."

"Have I seen a freak show? No?"

Lavi had lost all composure he'd somehow managed to retain at that _last_ house.

Though it had taken quite the bit of effort, the soldiers had peeled Lavi off the poor man and chided the boy, sending him back to the castle while they still owed _little_ money to the assaulted citizen.

Lavi stormed around the castle, pacing up and down every hall for what felt like hours. In reality it was only thirty minutes, but the wait was killing him.

Had that dream been a sign? Had Allen really dissolved? What was he going to do?

_"Lavi."_

What if..What if Allen had died somehow? Had he suffered the same fate as Mana?

_"Lavi."_

No, that couldn't be..Could it? How had Mana died anyway? Did Allen even remember?

_"Lavi, I wont say it again.."_

Oh god, could Allen have possibly forgotten who he was, who Lavi was? Did he even know he had a home-!

"Ow!"

"Listen to me when I'm speaking, idiot!"

"Sorry, gramps, I've got a lot on my mind in case you haven't noticed!"

"I understand that but we have more pressing matters to attend to."

"What could possible be more important than-!"

"Your coronation ceremony. I've called in representatives from another kingdom to help with planning."

Lavi huffed in annoyance, "Tell them to come back later! I'm not doing anything until I find Allen!"

"Lavi! Have some common sense! You're a prince, and like it or not, you're going to become king to this land and we have little more than a few months to prepare the ceremony before word gets out; If word happens to get out that you're unwilling to take your crown due to something as trivial as _this_, surely someone else will lay claim to the throne."

"You're joking.."

"I don't like it anymore than you do. Please, Lavi, just try to clear your head for a while."

Lavi shut his eyes tightly, as if, if he tried hard enough, some magic being would reveal Allen's location.

"...I'll do it.", he sighed, "Who's the representative?"

"There are two. A prince and a princess from another land who've brought their servants and right hands along with them. I believe we're dealing with Kanda Yuu and Lenalee Lee..both representatives of the Black Order. I'm not sure who else is coming..I never placed a specific request, so this might be all we're seeing up until the official ceremony."

Lavi sighed, "Yeah, I get it, I'll say hello..and whatever else they want me to do.."

Bookman gave him a stern scowl, "Please try to take this seriously. Focus."

He left without another word, expecting Lavi to diligently follow along..

Of course, he did, but still..

How could he possibly _focus_ at a time like this?

* * *

Three weeks had passed since that day, and Lavi was more than a little Jaded.

For one, Kanda was an absolute asshole, as fun as he may be. He never had anything nice to say about anyone, and he never wanted to run outside, ditch meetings, or anything _fun_ that Allen would have been more than happy to do.

..Alright, maybe a little more Lavi than Allen, but it was practically the same thing!

On top of that, Lenalee was..Well, she was alright..but he just couldn't _see it_. She was one of the most down to earth, possibly the nicest princess he had ever met, and she could have run circles around Kanda..but they just didn't _click_.

He never had the urge to hold her hand. He never felt the growing need to hug her, touch her, embrace her, sleep next to her-

Not that he felt _anything_ like that toward Allen!

"Lavi?"

"What is it?", he snapped unintentionally, "I-Sorry, Lenalee, what do you need?"

"N-Nothing much..I just..Well, you seem a little..distracted."

"Distracted?"

"More so than usual, actually."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. _Just what he needed to hear._

"Is there something wrong?"

"No..It's nothing. Really, forget about it."

"It doesn't _seem_ like nothing, Lavi."

_Please don't pry._

"Thanks for worrying Lenalee, but it's out of my hands..It's hopeless, really.

Lavi was actually a little surprised with himself, for two reasons.

One, being the _most_ surprising, was the fact he hadn't completely snapped yet. Somehow he'd managed to hold out even a little bit of hope that Allen was going to walk through that door any minute and apologize..then life would return to normal, Lavi would welcome Allen home with a feast, and they would sit outside, stargazing to their hearts content. _Just as it should have been that day. _

Secondly, Lavi had never actually known what it meant to feel completely and utterly hopeless..up until now. Though he still had quite a bit of fight in him, he truly did feel there was nothing left to do. He'd spent everyday, every morning, every inch of free time he had, trying to find Allen. No one in the town seemed to have ever heard of Allen, up until now, and Lavi wondered why..

Oh, that's right. Though Allen was a street rat, he was sheltered for a rather..unhealthy part of his life.

Was that it? Had Lavi unintentionally smothered Allen? So much as to compel him to leave?!

"Prince Lavi!", called Chomesuke, "An urgent message has just arrived..It's from the castle of Mille-"

"Not now, Chomesuke!"

"But it's-!"

"I said _get out of here!_"

She growled, practically baring her teeth at the prince, "It's regarding a boy named Allen Walker! Will you please just take a look at this, or do you no longer care?!"

Quickly, she bit her tongue.

Lavi looked up with a surprised expression, instantly regretting his actions.

How could he possibly shout at someone who brought such wonderful news?

"Please, your highness..", she whispered, "I..I'm so sorry."

"It's fine.", he reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm glad you came to me with this!"

She smiled, "What does it say? Has someone found Allen?"

He shrugged, opening the letter.

It took one full minute before he'd realized the true urgency of the situation. So, without another word, he gave Chomesuke a silent look of pleading, and the two immediately ran to their king, leaving the envelope behind which clearly read:

_Urgent_

_From: Kingdom Millennial_

_To: Bookman Castle _

_Regards: Allen Walker. _

As for the letter, it went a little something like this:

_Your highness, _

_Whether it's the prince or king reading this, I don't really care. So long as you receive this letter. _

_Recently, we've heard word of a consistent search established in your kingdom; The boy you're looking for is Allen Walker, yes? Well, we've a little more than information on his whereabouts..In fact, if you're wondering where he is, we'll tell you. He's with us right now. So, I suppose I'll just be blunt when I say this:_

_Allen Walker is here with us, and for the past three weeks (four, depending on when you receive this letter), we've held him here against his will. He's been a good little boy so far..but we're not after him. If you want him back, we'll happily return him to you in one piece; All we ask for is a little compensation for our troubles. _

_We don't have to keep him full or healthy, that's entirely up to you. So, when I say that, keep in mind that your response to this letter will dictate whether Allen lives or dies. Neither of us want that, do we? _

_However, I can assure you that once this little epidemic is over, I'll have one of three things: _

_1) I'll marry prince Lavi and take my rightful place as his queen._

_2) I'll have the throne all to myself; You'll hand it over without a fight. _

_3) I could just simply marry Allen Walker; After all, he is __quite__ delicious. _

_I'll be waiting for your answer. You have up until December 25th._

_Signed, Road Camelot_

* * *

**So indecisive right now. Should I bump up the rating?**

** I have an interesting idea in my head that's not appropriate for children..and such. **

** What should I do? Should I bump up the rating? Should I leave it? Should I attempt a lemon?**

** I don't know what to do! *crawls away***


	5. Chapter 5

_It was dark._

_ He'd known this was a bad idea from that start, so what on earth was it that kept him going?_

_ There was a tiny voice in the back of his head; Constantly barking orders. It practically swore at him, demanding Allen turn himself around and march straight back to bed..with Lavi. _

_ Now, normally, that sounded like a great idea. _

_ Snuggled up in a warm bed, comfortable, soft, content.._

_ Of course, none of that had anything to do with the boy-or rather, man sleeping next to him. _

_ Though, he supposed anything sounded better than finding himself lost or trapped out here in the stupid winter snow..In fact, winter was still a month or so away! So why was this kingdom always a frozen wasteland? _

_ Nonetheless, he kept going. _

_ The snow had created a thick layer of fog that had all but unintentionally blocked any view of the castle, in any direction. At this point, Allen wasn't even sure if he was in the right town anymore..but he assumed he was, since he hadn't really walked too far...from what he could tell, seeing as his legs weren't at all tired. _

_ But they were, in fact, cold._

_ Very cold. _

_"It's freezing..", he whispered to no one in particular, "I shouldn't have left..Finding my way back to the castle is gonna to be a real pain, isn't it?"_

_ If someone had heard him, he assumed that imaginary person would have said yes. _

_The snow had eventually clouded his own vision as well, making it very difficult to get anywhere he would have actually wanted to go. _

_"You look a little lost."_

_"Lost?"_

_ The shadowed figure nodded, "Perhaps you would like a ride home?"_

_ Warning bells were going off, and he was keen on taking the hint._

_"No thank you, sir..", he smiled politely, "I think I'll be alright."_

_"No, please.", he smiled as well through the fog, "I'd be honored to escort the lovely Allen Walker home."_

_"Allen..Walker?", he whispered, "How do you know my name?"_

_"You know, I should be commended for my effort, really. It wasn't a walk in the park, researching you. No one ever really knew much about you, did they?"_

_ Allen frowned. _

_"I know, you must be angry..confused, but that's only normal. I was a little surprised, actually. How has life with the prince been so far? Has it been rewarding? Is he really as charming as the rumors say he is?"_

_"And then some..", he sighed, "That doesn't concern you, though. Now answer my question, how do you know my name?"_

_"Aren't we impatient?", he chuckled as he took a step forward, evading the fog as he tipped his top hat. _

_"Y-You.."_

_"What's wrong, Allen? You still don't remember, do you.."_

_ He remained silent._

_"I really am surprised. I'm not lying, you know. I had never intended to beat you until you lost your memory, but I suppose it couldn't be helped.."_

_"Why..", he cringed, covering his eye, "Why would you do this to me.."_

_"Why?", he chuckled, "Earl and I had discussed this long before you were born. If there was ever a boy, man, prince, street rat that I deemed fit to serve the earl, I wouldn't hesitate to claim that property..You just happen bear the honorable symbol of our kingdom, and if you would be so kind-"_

_"No!", he shouted, "I don't care! You're..disgusting, I wont listen!"_

_ Tyki clicked his teeth in a disapproving manner as he stepped closer, piercing, malicious eyes visible even through the fog._

_"Stay away from me.", he warned, "Stay away." _

_"Now, Allen..", he pressed his own fingers to his lips, "We wouldn't want anyone hearing you, now would we?"_

_"S-Stay away!"_

_"I promise, Allen, I might go easy on you..if you don't scream, that is."_

_ Tyki took a step closer, placing a hand on his chin. _

_ Allen took the opportunity to slap the distracted man, running far off into the middle of nowhere, as far as he could tell. _

_ He kept running until he stumbled onto a row of houses; Perfect shelter! If he screamed, someone would surely come-_

_"Now Allen, are we really going to play this game? Be a good boy and come with me. Your punishment may not be so severe if you come quietly, understand?"_

_ Allen was stunned. How could a man possibly run that fast? Had he been behind him this entire time? When did Tyki sneak up behind him? Was Allen's guard down? This was impossible! It had to be!_

_ Nonetheless, Allen still found himself in a spiteful position. _

_ Tyki's hand had covered his mouth, while the man's back had pressed against the wall behind Allen, taking the opportunity to pin both of Allen's arms behind his back. Once he was sure he'd gained an impenetrable grip, he pulled a small cloth from his coat pocket, temporarily freeing the hands that restrained the boy, and proceeded to cover his mouth with a cloth. _

_ Allen's world faded to an eerie black_

* * *

_ Lavi held Allen's hand tightly, almost protectively as the two gazed longingly up at the stars. _

_ They knew coronation day was coming, as was Lavi's birthday. They were both approaching fast, and life was going to get more and more hectic each day, in a mere matter of time. _

_ So, the two did nothing more but enjoy the peace and quiet that was present, content with smiles. _

_ Lavi's smile was the brightest. He'd always loved it. And, once or twice, Allen would catch a glimpse of his smile as the boy sometimes glanced his way, locking eyes. _

_ Allen knew what was coming. He was ready, at last. _

_ The prince leaned in, lessening the distance between them before-_

_ The world around them faded to nothing. _

_ Allen was alone now, laying in what he could identify as a pile of snow. _

_ The resting space was cramped, and cold. So, he rose to meet the eyes of a familiar stranger; Tyki Mikk. _

_ The man held a gleaming, silver knife, that dripped with blood, and allot of it. _

_ Allen covered his own eye, looking down at his gloved hand to find nothing._

_ Of course, what was he expecting? It was a scar, of course it wouldn't have reopened..Now then, where's all this blood coming from, if not Allen? _

_ The blood curdling sound of a terrifying scream rang through the air, deafening both. Tyki lowering the knife, rubbing the blade with what appeared to be a cloth, and stuffing both back into his pocket. The Earl beside him smiled, approvingly. _

_ Allen looked down at the boy. _

_ He seemed..familiar. _

_ Ah, yes, he'd had dreams of this boy before; Many of them. This was the same brunette he'd always seen with Mana..Who he was, however, remained a mystery. Odd, his scar was strangely identical to his..Could he have the mark as well? _

_ Now that he thought about it, had Allen ever met this boy? Was he still alive? Who was he to Mana?_

_ ...Judging by their relationship, the way they relied on one another, he must have been his son. _

_ Perhaps he was Mana's real son, before Allen? What was his name?_

_ The scene shifted to a snowy road, where the same boy, and a man in a top hat he could only identify as Mana, walked along happily. The snow piled up slowly, slicking the concrete. _

_"Ow!", the little boy cried as he fell. _

_ Mana stopped, if only for a moment, to look back and say something that sounded allot like-_

_"Allen. Never stop, keep walking."_

* * *

Allen awoke with a fright.

Surely, this couldn't mean..?

All of his questions, so many of them, finally answered..? But why now?! What could this possibly mean! Why now!?

Allen's mind briefly reared back into focus as he recalled his current situation.

He also recalled the last words he'd said, to anyone.

_"Tell Lavi I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back in thirty minutes!", he smiled politely as he waved to Chomesuke. _

_"How long has it been since that day?", _Allen wondered.

What may have been days, or even hours, felt like months due to his current situation.

The moment he'd awaken, he found himself lazily chained to a stone wall, in a cold, damp, unidentifiable area. The first person to visit was none other than Tyki, who twirled the key to his restraints in an act of tempting, but Allen knew it was all a facade. The minute Allen gave in to his wishes, he would simply be used and thrown away.

The second visitor had accompanied Tyki, and he went by the name of Earl. The fat, burly man merely applauded Tyki's work and taunted Allen, and left without divulging any reason for his capture.

The third was possibly the worst, and she went by the name Road Camelot.

Of all people, she was probably the most _human_ of them all, but she was still quite the pain.

Why?

Well, overtime she had picked up the habit of _clinging_ to Allen whenever she had the chance. She would sit on his lap, tug at his hair, straddle his hips and rant or rave about anything that may have been bothering her, or any worthy gossip she found suitable to feed to her _pet_ as she had once called him.

Fortunately, the other members of her strange, _delusional_ family would come in form time to time and practically pry her off of the poor boy. The down side being the fact Tyki or "Skinn" would automatically take offence to this, and beat Allen senseless until he either passed out, or wished he was dead; Whichever came first.

Around the second week, or so he had been told, he had received a bit of information regarding their plan.

Apparently, the family was waiting patiently in the line of royalty, as their father, Earl, was ready to hand down the throne. The problem being; None of them were specifically blood related, therefore they did not have the correct entitlement. They'd already received coronation requests from kings and queens all over the world, requesting they hand the throne over to someone who may prove eligible, via election or contest.

Now, in their words, that was far too much effort when a neighboring kingdom lay defenseless, hardly knowing a bit of their existence, save for the king, who knew a bit too much for his own good. So, they'd somehow decided on overthrowing the king and wedding into the kingdom, rather than going through the trivial process of gathering votes, contestants, or any other organizing any other tedious event.

As Road had put it, she was fine with marrying Lavi, or Allen, or simply overtaking the castle by force.

Allen wasn't quite happy with _either_ one of her options.

Weary, he distracted himself with _other_ possible questions.

_How was Lavi? _

_ How was Bookman?_

_ Had Lavi already turned eighteen? Was he enjoying his party? _

_ How had Lavi taken the news..Did they believe he was dead? Had they ever sent a search party? _

_ Were they going to find him? _

_ How much longer until-_

Alright, maybe that wasn't the best idea.

Regardless, if he stayed another moment in this stupid dungeon, he was going to lose it.

So, he decided to distract himself in _other_ ways.

What could possibly feel better than sleep, at a time like this?

..Well, allot of things, he supposed.

But for now, he filled his head with anything desirable, anything even remotely happy.

So, the last thing Allen recalled that night, was a soothing melody, enchanting song, and Lavi's warm embrace.

_Soshite bouyaha nemurini tsuite _

_And then the boy falls asleep_

_Ikizuku haino nakano hono o_

_The flame inside the breathing ashes_

_Hitotsu futatsuto ukabu fukurami itoshii yokagao_

_One, then two, the floating swelling, the dear profile_

_Daichini taruru ikusenno yume, yume_

_Thousands of dreams, dreams that pour onto the earth_

_Ginno hitomini yuragu yoruni_

_On the night when the silver eyes swing_

_Ikutu inariwo tsuchihe kaeshitemo_

_The shining you, who was born_

_Watashiha inorituzukeru mou kakannokotoni aiwo_

_No matter how many millions of years, return the prayers to earth_

_I continue praying. Love for the last._

_Tsunaidateni kisuwo_

_Kiss for the joined hands._

* * *

_ **Song: The Fourteenth's Song **_

_** I strongly recommend listening to it. It's nice. **_

**_ P.S. _**

**_ I'm going to Sac-Anime this winter break, and I'm going to cosplay as Lavi. Yay!_**


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you mean, that idiot wont go through with it?!"

"I-I'm very sorry, your highness!", cried out a fairly worried Chomesuke, who just so happened to bear the bad news, "He says he will absolutely _not _go through with the coronation ceremony, until Allen has been returned safely to the kingdom!"

The king was practically seething.

"I want to see that idiot, right now! It's time we settle this once and for all."

* * *

The king practically threw his son into the throne room.

"W-What gives, old ma-Ow!"

"No speaking! Lavi, it's time you listen to me, and listen good. I will _not_ repeat myself."

Lavi groaned, but sat back.

"We've gone over this..", Bookman sighed, "I know how you feel about Allen. He's a precious friend; We all have those..but you have to keep in mind, you aren't just a boy who's lost a friend, you're a prince. You have responsibility, as well as a duty to your people. If you cannot honor your commitment, what kind of example are you setting for our citizens?"

"But-!"

"I'm not finished.", he warned, "I know you miss Allen..I know that..We're doing all we can to get him back, but stalling the ceremony is exactly what they want. They know they've put you in a bind and they want to manipulate you. Somehow they've discovered Allen's position in your life, though I don't know how, and I don't know when.."

"I just want Allen back! If they hand him over..if we rescue him before the kingdoms break into a war, everything should be fine, right? I'll become king just as planned!"

"If only things were that simple. Unfortunately for them, they are not an official kingdom..Their city fell into ruins long ago when they were invaded and destroyed along with their people. Anyone living there now is likely dying, or has been turned away from any other kingdom of actual status. As for the Noah family..They were once considered royalty, but ever since the collapse of their kingdom, they've been reduced to nothing but commoners, and it's become apparent to us that they'll do anything they can to regain that title. If it means kidnapping Allen and taking a hostage, so be it."

"If you know all of that, then why are you so afraid of striking back?!"

"I'm not afraid, I'm just thinking realistically. The family has nothing to lose, doing what they're doing, and cannot be persecuted as royalty, to which the sentence would double. There is no chance of any crime they may commit releasing to the public, seeing as they're no longer of high status. The world has practically forgotten them. As for Allen..If they have nothing to lose, what makes you think they would hesitate to kill him?"

"...", he huffed, "If they did, we'd just wipe them out completely, so what's the big deal!"

"You're missing the point, Lavi! The world cannot stand still on account of the fact your friend is _gone_. If Allen were to..If tragedy befell-"

"Please, don't finish that sentence!", he warned, alarmed, "I know what you're going to say, and I've..I've thought about it."

"You have? You don't show it, Lavi."

"I know I don't show it, why would I? Do you think I enjoy planning this far ahead? I..I've realized, through my course of thinking, that the world would be allot emptier without Allen! Why do you think I try to preserve this life that was given to us, as a gift? No one else will cherish it as much as I will! That's why I need him here!"

"...I see then.", Bookman sighed one last time, softening his harsh glare, "You've developed your own opinion on the boy, I can see that now.. But, Lavi, keep in mind: Allen is no toy. He is not a dog that you may chain to your side forever. He has his own will, his own freedom, and his own dreams. Realize that."

Without another word, the king pushed out the door, allowing it to shut itself roughly.

In a hushed tone, Lavi whispered to know one in particular, "As if I didn't already know that..!"

* * *

Three weeks, three weeks after Allen had gone, and even so, Lavi still returned to their favorite getaway, that wasn't really much of a getaway at all.

He would lay there on the grass, same position, same smile he'd always worn whenever he'd lay there with Allen and gaze up at the beautiful night sky, overlooking the frosty kingdom.

He even held his hand out, awaiting Allen's gentle embrace.

Though, Lavi wasn't quite sure why.

He'd known very well where Allen was, and he'd known that Allen wasn't going to reach out to him from such a distance. He was sure he was merely imagining the warmth, slowly but surely, wrapping around his hand.

The memory of Allen's priceless smile burnt deeply, searing into the depths of his mind.

Unable to see it?

It killed him.

And what if Allen..What if tragedy _were_ to ever befall? What would he do?

...He wasn't quite sure.

He'd thought about it, a little more than he would have liked to, but he was sure he would never cope.

The thought of his entire world one day crumbling shortly followed Allen's death-and frankly, he wasn't one to enjoy negative hopes for the future. He hated the eerie feeling he would give himself, he wanted nothing more but to embrace the boy, and because of it, the two had ended up in _this_ mess...So, perhaps it was just reasoning to be afraid.

_"Hey Lavi..Why are we friends?"_

_"Why are we friends? What do you mean, why are we friends?"_

_"It just seems..odd.", he sighed, lightly frowning to himself as he avoiding Lavi's confused gaze, "I thought for sure..So long ago, I was so sure that you would have sent me elsewhere the minute I recovered. I never expected..I had no idea that I would ever call this place my home."_

_ Lavi chuckled in amusement, "Obviously. Anywhere I am, is a home to you, Allen! You would have done the same thing, right? You would have been just as kind a prince as I am."_

_"As modest as ever, Lavi."_

_ The prince smiled, knowing the boy was happy. Despite his feigned annoyance, the grip on his hand had, somewhere along the way, grown tighter; Warmer. _

_ Despite the snow, despite the cold weather, the fact they laid on frosty grass, Allen was so warm. _

_"What would I say to Allen, if I had the chance?", he wondered. _

_ Would I embrace him tightly? Would I wrap my arms around him, hold his hand? Would we talk..just the way we used to?.._

_ Could Allen have changed? _

_ Will he forget me, one day? _

_ When will I be able to see him again..Will I ever? _

Lavi had ceased the bombarding questions, the minute he felt a silent tear slip past his cheek.

_"D-Damnit!"_, he swore under his breath, _"I need Allen, and I need him now!"_

So, he formed a plan.

After a bit of smooth talking and quite the amount of bribing, he'd acquired a small team consisting of Lenalee, Chomesuke, and somehow, Kanda.

The three were clear on their instructions.

Rescue Allen; No matter the cost.

_The time to invade had arrived._

* * *

Yet another hard blow was received as punishment, the bruise burning his skin as he was unable to sooth the pain, in any way.

"You insolent brat!", shouted the man he barely recognized as Skinn, "Do you see what you're doing to us? Our sister wants to marry you! She wants to marry you now, and merge with that god forsaken kingdom!"

Allen said nothing, merely, quite literally, turning the other cheek.

Skinn slapped the boy across the face again, "You can't ignore me forever! You'll pay for this, Walker! I'll make you pay..starting with that stupid prince of yours..!"

"D-Don't hurt Lavi!"

The man smirked, chuckling.

This was a _fun_ game to play with Allen. It was certainly one hell of a way to relieve frustration.

He'd watched the boy for quite some time, falling asleep or letting a few tears fall as he laid against the wall, bound with chains on each limb. After a while, Skinn would fall to boredom or fury, and decided that taking his issues out on Allen was a perfect distraction!..Honestly, half the time he was never really angry. This was just so _fun_!

Then, he would threaten the prince. The boy would cave in, and he was practically nothing more than a punching bag! It was amazing! The idiots had clearly developed a bond far too strong for their own good.

With nothing more to do, Skinn wanted to _try_ something.

..He'd always wanted to know what that kid's hair felt like. White hair had to have a few perks, right? Was it maybe..softer than all the rest, delicate? Was it stronger?

He wasn't sure.

"S-Stop!", screamed Allen as a fistful of hair was suddenly pulled, hard enough to force the boy's head to meet Skinn's eyes.

"Admit you're trash and I'll stop!"

"S-Stop it!", he screamed once more, "Let go of me, let go!"

The screams echoed through the hall of the god forsaken dungeon as the man pulled harder, enjoying this game a little too much.

"Say it! Give in! Come on, if you say it, I'll let you go! Just admit what everyone here already knows!"

"Stop!"

Strangely enough, the man released, and left. Allen remained deathly silent until his footsteps were lost down the incredible length of the stone hall.

"Damn..", Allen sighed as a single tear slipped down his face, "That hurt."

Honestly, he'd endured three weeks of this nonsense! It was getting old..

The footsteps grew again, and for once in his life, Allen was just a bit _terrified_.

"D-Don't come any closer!", he begged.

He laughed, "You've resorted to begging, now? You're pathetic! But fear not, I've brought you a present."

Curiously, Allen looked up.

The man held what appeared to be a hand mirror.

"W-Why would I.."

"You can finally see how pathetic you are!", he chuckled happily, "It's amazing isn't it?"

He held the mirror up, and Allen averted his gaze.

He _knew_ he looked pathetic. That didn't mean he wanted to see it. Surely, he looked far too shameful..

"Come on now. None of that.", he huffed as he lowered himself to Allen's height, a complacent smile fairly obvious as he noticed the boy trying to maneuver his head away.

He roughly grabbed the boys cheeks, holding his face within one hand, mirror in the other before he tugged on the hair, and grabbed another fistful.

He forced Allen's eyes open as he earned another scream, and forced the boy's gaze upon the mirror.

And, upon seeing his own sullen expression, bruised face, dried blood, every possible scar he ever could have held on ones face, he only realized that he truly _did_ look pathetic. To add to his suffering, the crying hadn't ceased, though the tears were acting on pain rather than sorrow.

"L-Let me go..", he whispered in a begging tone.

Skinn let out his loudest laugh, and dropped the mirror in front of the boys feet, letting it shatter.

"Lavi..", he whispered, _"Please..I'm begging you, do something..Anything..!"_

* * *

Well, despite the fact the boy was near broken, it was never enough.

From time to time, a sibling would walk down the hall, past or through the dungeon, and ears would open up to the sound of the faintest _singing_.

And they would make out the words of a sweet sounding song, in a language that for the _life_ of them, they couldn't understand.

_"Ikizuku haino nakano hono o.."_

"What is that?", silently asked Road, as she followed the sound.

_"Hitotsu futatsuto ukabu fukurami itoshii yokagao..Daichini taruru ikusenno yume, yume.."_

"Allen? Is that you?", she called.

_"Ginno hitomini yuragu yoruni.."_

"What's with all this damn noise.", sighed Tyki as he strode down the hall along side her.

_"Ikutu inariwo tsuchihe kaeshitemo.."_

"That song..", she whispered, "It's really beautiful, isn't it?"

_"Watashiha inorituzukeru mou kakannokotoni aiwo.."_

"Beautiful?", he grumbled, "How would you know, you wouldn't even know the language!"

"This language is hardly ever used anymore, right?"

_"Tsunaidateni kisuwo."_

"As far as I can tell.", he shrugged.

And then, the singing _stopped_.

"Allen!", called Road, "What was that song!"

He looked up, startled, "S-Song?"

"The song you were just singing, just now! That one!", she insisted, clinging to his side yet again.

"I-I don't know..", he sighed, "I don't know, I just know the song, I really..can't explain."

"Useless.", huffed the older Noah standing in the doorway, "How are you able to use a language that hasn't been used for over two decades?"

The boy shrugged, "I don't know. It's just a lullaby I picked up from M-"

_Oh, no way in hell was he going to use Mana's name in this situation. As if he hadn't disgraced the man enough..!_

The siblings paid no heed.

"You're going to have to teach it to me some time, Allen~!", purred Road, "I can't wait to learn it.."

Suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable, he shifted his position, and decided to point out the shattered mirror.

"C-Can you move that, please? I..I'm very..superstitious.", he lied.

Tyki said nothing, lighting a cigarette as he lazily picked up the shattered mirror, as well as the glass, and promptly tosses it out, between the bars of the cell.

The two were just about to leave, when Road turned around.

"By the way, Allen..", she sighed, receiving a stern look from Tyki, "N-Nevermind!"

_"What was that about?"_

Well, no matter what it was about, he just wish it would all be over and_ done_ with.


	7. Chapter 7

"Lavi, I know what you're going to do."

"What's the problem? You're not going to handle it, so I will!", the prince snapped.

"I have a problem with it because you're going to get yourself killed!"

So far, the fight had stemmed upon knowledge of a secretive _plan_ leaking to the king. In turn, the worried man had followed his son out the door, warned the rest to stay behind, and he was currently determined to stop this little fiasco before he got himself hurt or _killed_.

In response, Lavi insisted on going alone and threatened to push his coronation back further, should the king keep him from going. Having just about enough of this, the two were caught in a heated argument that seemed to last _forever_, repetitiously in Lavi's mind.

"Would you quit worrying about me? I'm not the king yet, in case you haven't noticed!"

"I'm worrying because you're _not_ the king yet! How am I to know I'm leaving the kingdom in the right hands or not, Lavi?"

"I don't know. It shouldn't matter anyway.", he huffed, "I'm just a replacement!"

"What are you talking about now, idiot?"

"You know what I'm talking about!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about.", he sighed, "If this is about Allen, I think you'd better bite your tongue. I don't care how much you love the boy, if you think you'll get away with treating me as if I'm nothing more than a babysitter-!"

"Stop it! I know! I know what you're going to say, and I'm tired of hearing it! For once, can you put yourself in my place, maybe?!"

"Lavi, I've tried! I don't know how your mind works!"

"Exactly! If you don't know how my mind works, you should trust me, just a little bit!"

"That doesn't make sense. If I trust you because I don't know how your mind works, how am I to know you're not coming up with some hair brained plan that you concocted in your sleep? How am I supposed to keep my only son safe?!"

Lavi pushed the door open, before a strong hand pulled him back in by the wrist, "Lavi!"

"Old man, let me go!"

"Why is it so hard for you to understand this?! Do you not see it? What you're doing now is suicide!"

"I know that! You don't think I know what I'm getting myself into? If that's what it takes to save Allen, I'll do it! I don't care how long it takes, or how hard the journey is going to be. With or without you.."

"Lavi, don't leave.", he warned, "If you leave, I'll have no choice but to.."

"What? What could you possibly take from me? The throne? It wasn't mine to begin with!"

"N-Now you're just talking nonsense!"

"Am I?"

"You are! You've always been entitled to the throne! It's your birth right!"

"_You're wrong!_", he shouted, a little louder than intended, "I was never supposed to be here. I was never-Stop using me as your replacement!"

"What the hell are you talking about, you idiot!"

"You know what I'm talking about! We both know it happened, so why are we beating around the bush, after all these years?!"

"Y-You know damn well, that's not what happened!"

"If that's not what happened, then tell me, what is it?! I know you wouldn't have taken me in, had your son never died! If that hadn't of happened, you would have left me to-!"

With regret and anger clouding his senses, the Bookman had, without realizing it, delivered a hard slap upon the prince's face.

Lavi shut the door, saying nothing.

The king reached out to him, hesitantly before pulling back.

"L-Look, Lavi..I know..I know it, and you know it..My son lived a short life."

He seemed to smile as he shortly reminisced, "Deak..He was the brightest boy in the world. After his mother died, he was the only hope I'd had left for the kingdom...Then, one day.. I'd taken him out to see the town; His first time in public. The citizens practically melted over how amazing their prince was."

Lavi remained silent, though he knew tears were falling on both ends.

"_It happened on the way home. _The snow just wouldn't stop..Deak was shivering, and we stepped into the nearest clothing shop, for only a moment. I just wanted to buy a scarf..and I did. A bright, orange scarf..It was too big for his body, but he wore it anyway.", he chuckled, "Well..the blizzard had caught hold of the scarf, and it blew away in the wind. He chased after it..That was the last time I'd ever seen him. I looked everywhere, everywhere..until.."

* * *

"_Your highness, we just received word regarding the prince..!", called a soldier, "He's been found in town!"_

_ The king could hardly contain his joy, as tears of relief began to happily flow, "That's amazing!"_

_ He knew his son was alive, he just knew it! No god was so merciless as to take his one and only family..!_

_ So, he followed the soldier, along with escorts, out to town where they came across a set of two or three soldiers, kneeling silently as they pecked at the ground with peculiar tools. _

_"What on earth are they doing?", he whispered. _

_"I don't know.", the soldier sighed, "Perhaps they're..constructing a memorial for the day the prince returned..It should serve as a peaceful memory of today. It'll benefit the children of the town, as well?" _

_ The king shrugged, raising an eyebrow as he approached. _

_ The soldiers quickly gathered themselves, crawling to their feet, scrambling out of the way. _

_ The behavior was odd, but the king paid no mind for the moment. _

_ And then, his heart practically stopped beating in his chest. _

_ Because it was then, and there, that his world came crashing down. Beneath the ice, a still body was trapped, ice shut soundly as if he was sleeping. He wore the same outfit he had, the day they adventured too far from home. The day he lost his precious son. His red hair was flung loosely around his shoulders, and the tunic he'd worn atop his clothes was worn and visibly frosted over. _

_ The king crumpled to his knees, burying his face in his hands as he desperately mourned the loss of his son. The soldiers stood back, a safe distance away, knowing very well that no amount of comfort in the world could have healed this pain. _

_ And, the king remained. Even when the guards had long since left, despite their wishes. _

_ He remained still, every last tear drop, desperately trying to penetrate the ice. _

_ Now, the kings couldn't lose another drop of royal blood. So, they took him back to the castle, and promised a memorial the minute they retrieved his body. _

_ The king had gathered himself for the sake of his people, but he continued falling apart as the memorial was complete. He never ceased to visit the cross, placed carefully within a chunk of sculpted ice._

_ The citizens had yet to caught wind of the prince's birth..which was exactly why he was always, always alone. He'd hated himself for that, as well. _

_ On one hand, though he'd saved the citizens of their own disappointment, the pain of no one but himself knowing of his son's existence was probably the most heartbreaking thing in the world. _

_ Always, always alone until the most astonishing thing happened. _

_ A boy with one bright green eye, gleaming in sadness as he watched the man grieve. _

_"What's wrong, sir?"_

_"W-Who are you? Shouldn't you be with your parents?", he asked, quickly changing the subject as he hid his tears, as well as astonishment as he got a good look at the kid. _

_ The same red hair. The same green eyes..an orange scarf wrapped tightly around his neck that seemed far too big for his body. _

_"Where did you get that?", he demanded, "Who gave it to you, young man?!" _

_"N-No one..", he sheepishly admit, teeth chattering slightly, "I found it the other day. It was on the ground, and no one was using it so I picked it up..I-I'll give it back!"_

_"What..", he knelt down to meet the boy's height, "What's wrong with your left eye?"_

_"I had an accident.", he shivered, "It hurts."_

_"..How old are you?"_

_ He held up five fingers. _

_"That young, and you're out here all alone? Where are your parents?"_

_ He shrugged, "I haven't seen them in a long time. I can't remember."_

_"..Do you know exactly how you hurt your eye? Can you give me any details?"_

_ The boy covered his eye, suddenly self conscious, "Mommy was angry with me. She stabbed me."_

_"S-So you have no use of your left eye?!", he gasped. _

_"No..I can still see and stuff, but it's all blurry. The doctor told me that I wouldn't be able to use it and I have to cover it so it wont hurt itself and stuff."_

_ He sighed in slight relief, "Where are you staying now?"_

_ He shrugged again. _

_"Do you have any relatives?"_

_ A head shake. _

_"Do..Do you know who I am?"_

_ Another head shake. _

_..This couldn't be happening. _

_ He couldn't have coincidentally come across a boy with red hair, green eyes, and an appearance similar to his own son's, as well as having no recognition of his mother or father, other than the fact one parent mortally wounded his left eye. On top of that, the boy had just so happened to wander out into the middle of nowhere, straight to the memorial? Not to mention the fact he was wearing his son's scarf, the same that enforced his death.. _

_ What was going on? _

_"Why don't you come home with me..", he sighed as the boy began to shiver, "I know you don't know me, but anything is better than living with people who are willing to harm you."_

_ Honestly. A son is a precious thing, one that should be cherished. Those bastards..! _

_ Well, regardless, he escorted the boy's home. _

_ Along the way, the boy had slipped his hand into the older man's, sparking a question. _

_"What's your name?" _

_"Lavi." _

_"..Hello, Lavi. Call me Bookman."_

_ The boy smiled, and suddenly, the dark grew a little lighter. _

* * *

The two stood for a moment.

Both were probably crying now, as they recalled the tragic events, but neither said a word for a moment.

"It's just like you.", chuckled Lavi, "You weren't even angry with me..I'm probably the reason your son died. I grabbed that scarf and your son missed it terribly..I'm the reason your family fell apart, so I don't understand why it would matter if-"

"Bite your tongue, Lavi.", Bookman sighed, "It's the reason my son is gone that I have to treat your life as a very valuable, delicate possession..though I'd be lying if I said you belonged to anyone. Regardless, if I lost you..I-Don't make me say it, you damn brat!"

"I'm not making you say anything!", he huffed, "I know..I know how hard it must be on you, and I know I'll never be your real son, but.."

Lavi said nothing more as Bookman placed a hand on his shoulder, bowing his head.

"Old man?"

"D-Don't call me that!"

Lavi chuckled as he pulled the unsuspecting old man into a hug, "You really are the worst, you know?"

"Whatever.", he sighed.

"...But..I hope you know, I still have to go.."

"I know."

"..You're not gonna stop me?"

"You wouldn't listen to me."

"I know."

"I'll be careful."

The king sighed, "You'd better very well be. The minute anything gets dangerous..retreat. If I find out my only son has vanished..I'm not sure what I'll do. I need you here, Lavi. You know that. I can't..I can't rest in peace, I can't find his happiness, I can't find my son again until I'm sure the kingdom is in good hands!"

Lavi nodded.

"Take Chomesuke, Lenalee, and Kanda with you. They'll be able to help you..At least if they're with you, my conscience may be lighter."

"I get it!", he half-groaned, "I'll be careful.."

The old man pushed his idiot _son_ out the door, shutting it behind him.

Lavi feigned distress over the rude gesture, but he knew very well that the king was crying on the other side.

"That's just like him..! Crying when _"There's no room for emotion in dire times of crisis." _", he mimicked.


End file.
